Experiences of a late-comer to the agility competition scene -- our training, trials, life-style changes/challenges, RV adventures, and observations on the sport, the people, and dogs involved in it. Begun July 17, 2010.

Description

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

In preparation for training the treadmill, I first trained Lucky and Maxie a Line-Up exercise. I've also seen some handlers use the LINE UP at the start line at agility trials."Line Up": D goes around behind H then comes forward thru H's straddled legs, sits or remains standing. Treat. Praise. "Go Around". Repeat.

Some D's may not need Line-Up training, but others get spooked if you try to straddle them. I've never trained Line Up's before but it's a cool exercise. Lucky learned to Line Up within a few minutes. It can be practiced any where, any time, while cooking, etc. A neat floor exercise and parlor trick.

"Line Up" for treadmill practice: Straddle the treadmill belt. Ask for a Line UP, treat. "Go Around". Repeat. (Same as above, only on the board.)
After several reps, with Lucky lined up between my legs on the board, I grasped her collar and began the treadmill turning very slowly, barely moving, constantly praising. She was confused for a moment but with encouragement just walked along, focusing on the high value treats in my hand. Lots of praise and treats as she walked along between my legs. I increased the speed one tick at a time until she was walking along at a slow pace, for about 5 minutes. Then I turned it off. We dismounted. Exercise finished.

This could be done several times a day, in a few short minutes. Tomorrow we take it to the next level.